


Stuck in an Elevator

by myxstorie



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-18
Updated: 2006-12-18
Packaged: 2018-02-09 22:57:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2001162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myxstorie/pseuds/myxstorie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Kari, for the prompt 'stuck in an elevator'. Jin never thought they'd stick together long enough for it to be worth getting to know his bandmates.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stuck in an Elevator

-

Jin doesn't make a habit of talking to his bandmates. They've been together six months, and already thrown more punches at each other than Jin thinks he's done in his entire life. He doesn't expect them to last long, and they certainly won't make it to debut when they can't even stand each others' company for more than three and a half minutes (he'd counted).

When he'd first joined the company, he had hopes, dreams of being part of the next big thing, friends all around him as they rose to fame amidst the swarm of young boys around them. Now, that all seemed so far away.

-

After practice, he doesn't hang around to say goodbye, showering and changing as quickly as he can manage to get out of there and meet his friends at the park.

He punches the button and taps his foot impatiently waiting for the elevator, heart sinking when he hears a familiar, "Yo."

Jin nods at the newcomer, the one who had been introduced as their N and hadn't said much since. Jin can't remember him ever having so much as raised his voice, let alone having gotten involved in any of their fisticuffs.

The elevator arrives, and the pair stand in silence as it descends painstakingly slowly. The silence is almost louder than if they were actually talking, and it make Jin fidgety. He busies himself fiddling with the good luck charm hanging from his bag that he'd gotten from a girl at school, and almost rips it off in surprise when the lift jerks suddenly to a stop, throwing him to the floor and spilling the contents of his bag everywhere.

The other boy - Nakamura? - elbows him in the face as he stumbles, and Jin barely avoids a bloody nose.

"What the fuck..." He says, almost to himself, and picks himself up, jabbing at the button repeatedly in the hope of jarring the lift back to life.

Oddly enough, nothing happens.

"Shit."

By the time he stops sulking over missing the soccer game and remembers the other occupant, his things have all been picked up and put carefully back in his bag.

Jin frowns, confused, and takes the proffered bag back, nodding and grunting his thanks half-heartedly. He was more worried something unpleasant would leap out at him than thankful for the other boy's kindness.

He eyes his bag warily, handling it with care, and when nothing nasty happens, slings it back over his shoulder.

"D'you think we're stuck?"

"Well, we aren't moving." Jin replies haughtily, already marvelling at the kid's genius.

The other boy sniffs softly in response, and sits on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest, "Reckon we're gonna be here long?"

"How should I know?!" Jin pushes the alarm button, hoping someone will come to their rescue. If all his bandmate does is ask annoying questions, it's no wonder he doesn't talk.

Jin slides down the opposite wall and pulls out his cellphone, cursing under his breath when there's no signal. They sit there in silence for a while, before Jin hears the other boy starting to make some strange noises.

"Are you... Beatboxing?" He asks hesitantly, and gets a nod in response as the sounds increase in tempo and volume.

"Uwa!" Jin exclaims, "That's awesome! Some of the guys my mum listens to can do that. I used to try, but I ca- I decided I sing better."

The other boy blushes, the tips of his ears turning red, and he stops. Jin pouts. The other boy looks at his toes, and, all of a sudden, the lights go out.

Jin screams.

He'll never admit he's afraid of the dark, not to anyone. Pi knows, but not because Jin told him - his friend is just assertive like that. Ryo likes to tease him, for not liking the dark, but Jin thinks that's just because Ryo likes to be mean, not because he actually knows anything.

"I don't like the dark..." The other boy says quietly.

Jin sniffs, then squeals as something brushes against his arm.

"I really don't like the dark..." The thing says again, and Jin breathes a sigh of relief. A hand hooks around his arm, warm and comforting, then a head rests on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I'm too close," he murmurs, and his voice doesn't sound half as frightened as Jin thinks it should, if he's scared enough to cling, "But I get freaked out pretty easily... I'm sorry..."

He sounds so meek that Jin rushes to tell him it's fine. Besides, he's only doing what Jin wouldn't be able to bring himself to do. The heat of another body calms his speeding pulse, and with company, the dark doesn't seem quite so scary.

"Do you think they heard the alarm?" Jin asks, foregoing his plan of not talking to his bandmates just this once.

"I hope so, I have dance practice later."

Jin frowns, "What? We just _finished_ dance practice." Just his luck to get stuck in a lift with a fruitcake.

"I-I know, but... I take extra lessons..."

"Why?"

He can hear the other boy swallow nervously, "I want to be better. I want us all to be better, so we can make it."

Jin scoffs, "We aren't gonna make it, we're only backdancers. They're wasting our time."

"Then... Why are you still here?"

Jin shrugs softly, and feels the other boy's head shift on his shoulder, "Beats going to school."

There's a sigh, and a soft, "Oh."

Then, there's a deep breath, "We can make it if we try harder. All we do is fight. We don't practice properly, we don't rehearse properly, we suck when we try and dance in synch. Of course we won't make it if we carry on like this! Johnny would be stupid to debut a group like us, we can't even look at each other. But if we worked harder and tried to get along, we'd get better, and they'd give us more work. And if we get more work, we'll get fans. It's the fans you want, get enough fans, be popular enough and he'll let us debut for real." He pauses for breath, then plows on, "This could be our only chance to make it big. Do you really want to give that up just because we don't all get on? Do you want to go back to being a nobody in class now that you know what it's like to dance, to sing like that? Could you give it all up just because of a few fights?"

Jin's more than a little taken aback by the sudden speech, but something in the kid's voice hits home, hits deep. No, he doesn't want to lose it all. No, there's no way he could go back to playing soccer and dating girls, no, he doesn't want a normal day job in an office - he's not smart enough for that, anyway. Those moments out on stage, the lights beating down, the music pounding, the screaming girls, all of it was what Jin hoped Heaven would be like.

By the time they're rescued by large men in orange suits, Jin and the N - Nakamaru, he learns, and promises to remember - have promised each other that one day, all those girls will be screaming just for them.


End file.
